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Yuri was pleasantly surprised when he spotted a familiar head of purple peaking out in a throng of people. Although late to the ASHEN WOLVES concert, Bernadetta's presence was appreciated nonetheless. Even more so when Shez managed to shove their way into the pit, bringing a timid Bernadetta to the forefront. At first, Yuri was worried that his friend would hate the atmosphere as a newcomer. Disorderly chaos did not mix well with anxiety. But slowly, the singer was delightfully proven wrong. Bernadetta joined the crowd in their shared excitement, mouthing lyrics to all songs.
The sight made Yuri smile. If only a moment like this could last forever… But soon enough, ASHEN WOLVES were down to their last song. As the riff from Hapi's guitar fades out, Yuri waves goodbye to the audience. He makes eye contact with Shez—who was screaming—and Bernadetta—who shyly looked away—before retreating to the greenroom for the night.
"You coming?" Hapi asks, holding the door for Yuri, who fell a step behind.
"I will in a bit, thanks." Hapi simply nods upon hearing the answer, removing her hand from the door. But before gravity could force it to close, Yuri sticks his foot out, leaving the door slightly ajar. "Hold on. Balthus—DO NOT eat my cake. Or else."
"What? Why am I being singled out? Geez, I don't even like—" Yuri could hear the sound of something opening, assumingly the mini fridge, "...What is this? Peach cake? Why do you keep buying this garbage?"
"And what's wrong with that? Maybe you just don't know how to appreciate the finer things in life, Balthus," Constance chimes in with her own comment. "Though… If we're all getting celebratory desserts, I would prefer something more like strawberry shortcake. Or maybe a fruit tart?"
"Sure. I'm not opposed to a sweet treat if any place is open by the time we leave. Just… don't eat my cake, got it? Not even a nibble—I'll know," Yuri issues a second warning for his friends. Constance scoffs, muttering something about hating name brands. "We can talk about dinner later. Or if you're impatient, feel free to look at places of interest without me. Just let me know before heading out, instead of making it a surprise."
And with that, Yuri finally closes the door. Their chatter recedes, leaving the singer with silence. Unbeknownst to ASHEN WOLVES, Yuri takes a deep breath to quell his nerves. Typically, he was brimming with confidence, but… at the moment the purple-head felt rather antsy. After all, it was Yuri's own idea to invite Bernadetta. Not Hapi's, not Constance's, not (Goddess forbid) Balthus'. What if she actually hated attending the concert? Would this be her last one? The commonly anxious woman looked like she was having fun alongside the fans, but… Maybe Bernadetta got swept under Shez's rowdy spirit.
Worry etched his well-groomed brows; he would hate to make his best friend uncomfortable.
Yuri stopped overthinking once he registered the sound of footsteps. He looked at the source, seeing a wandering Bernadetta. Eyes glued to a phone, her gaze flitted back and forth between room numbers and the mobile screen, meticulously checking for the right room. Luckily for the woman, her friend was right there to greet her!
"You came," Yuri calls out to Bernadetta, who jumps at the sudden address. The involuntary jerk causes her to hit her elbow against the walls. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you. Everything okay?"
Bernadetta rubs the sore spot as she talks, "Y-yeah. It's just, you know… the nerves. Normal Bernie stuff. Okay, maybe it's not completely normal, but—"
"It's fine," Yuri cuts her off, knowing the ramble would be endless otherwise. "I'm just happy to see you."
"R-really? Why?" Bernadetta stared, confused by the words. She twirled a purple strand of hair around her finger, rambling, "I mean, I'm happy to see you too, but I wish I got here on time… Gah, I'm sorry Yuri. I'm a failure of a friend. I should have made a better effort to—"
Yuri pokes her forehead with his index finger. "You're overthinking, Bernadetta. Getting lost in that overworked brain of yours. No need to apologize to me for stuff like this; your presence is more than enough."
Truthfully, Yuri half expected Bernadetta to bail. Not because their friendship was fragile, but rather over how overwhelming a packed concert was to a newcomer. This sort of scene was a new avenue for the woman, and hardly beginner friendly. He thought she would need more preparation, like attending a local indie show together. But Bernadetta assured him in full confidence that she'd make it, no matter what. She's always full of surprises, keeping Yuri on his toes.
"Alright," Bernadetta lets out a breathy laugh. "Um, thank you for inviting me! I had a lot of fun with the band, and uh, the audience. If I knew concerts weren't so scary to attend, I would have come sooner to see you, Yuri—I-I mean, all of you! All of the ASHEN WOLVES. Because there's four of you in this band, yeah…"
"My, what high praise for us. I'm honored," Yuri bows for show, but even a bravado couldn't hide the fact that he was a massive sap at heart. And elated by the compliments. Today was a special day for Bernadetta—it was her first concert experience, one that cannot be recreated with anyone else. And it was specifically ASHEN WOLVES—his band—that made the night memorable, special even. It made Yuri happy, knowing that all of his worries were for naught. "I'm sure everyone else would be happy to hear so too. But try not to praise Constance too much; her ego is big enough as is."
Bernadetta pokes Yuri in the chest, in an accusing manner. "You're awful Yuri, you know that? Look at what you did! You're actually making Bernie want to socialize with people! My literal nightmare! I would have thrown up at the thought yesterday. Actually, not even yesterday—literally four hours ago if Shez didn't drag me out of my room. What if…" she pauses, whispering the second half in horror, "I become a social butterfly?!"
"Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?" Yuri jests, "I would love—"
"See, I told you it'd be fun," Hapi interrupts, veering the conversation into a different direction.
The new voice startled Bernadetta, causing her to stumble into Yuri. A small eep slips out of her mouth as he catches her, stabilizing the body. Bernadetta stutters both an apology, and a thank you, face turning red.
"H-Hapi!" Bernadetta manages to squeak out, her voice a pitch higher. "Um. Hi!"
"Hey." Hapi casually waves. "Where's Shez?"
"I-I'm not sure? I think they wanted to talk to other concert-goers, and I was NOT ready for that step yet. So we split our ways for the time being…"
"Oh?" Hapi perks up at the possibility of Bernadetta becoming part of the pack—that's what ASHEN WOLVES call their fans. "Does that mean you're coming to our next show? It's on a Thursday, if you wanted to know. And I happen to have the best seats too."
Yuri rolls his eyes at the shameless advertisement. It's not like they were in desperate need of money. ASHEN WOLVES was no longer a humble dream tightly held together by four struggling musicians. Through hard work, and sheer will, they managed to build a sizeable fanbase over the years.
"Oh right, about that. So I was wondering… Do I need to reimburse you? I-I know both of you gave me free tickets—" Yuri raises an eyebrow at Hapi; he was not aware of that. But the woman offers no sign of an explanation, instead listening to Bernadetta's serious inquiry, "—but that feels wrong. Am I allowed to attend a concert for free?"
"It's on the house," Yuri waves off the unnecessary concern. "Consider it a gift from me. And Hapi too, apparently."
"Hold on—maybe for Yuri, buuuut I'll take it!" Balthus makes his mandatory appearance, another wolf who scares Bernadetta. Yuri's grip tightens on her shoulder so she doesn't become a tripping hazard to herself.
"Ignore the knucklehead," Yuri spoke directly to Bernadetta. "You don't have to do that."
But of course, it wouldn't be the full ensemble without Constance. She waltzes over to the crowded area by the door, speaking over everyone. "Did you enjoy the show, dear? What did you think about the special effects? You liked them, yes? Explain in full detail if you can, please. This is extremely important research for the betterment of ASHEN WOLVES."
At this rate Bernadetta was going to be glued to Yuri's side with the amount of jump scares everyone elicited.
"A-ah yeah?" Dazed, the purple-haired woman offers a weak response. It takes Bernadetta a moment to collect herself in order to provide a satisfying response. "T-the part where you got the audience involved in, um, is it… called a rave? Sorry, I don't know the right terms yet, but um! It was really fun. I loved the flickering lights too… it was like, beautiful sea of colorful lights!"
Constance basks in the praise—she's practically glowing. "Why thank you! Your praise only inspires me to do better. Buuut! If you enjoyed today's show, I must second Hapi. You have to come to our next show! It's a must! I don't offer sneak peaks often, but since you're a dear friend to our leader, I'll make an exception. I have a very special surprise planned for all the fans—you can't miss it! It's some of my best work! And oh, make sure to post about it online, and tag the official ASHEN WOLVES account if you do attend!"
"I already said no to the sparklers, and so did the stage technicians," Yuri shuts Constance's excitement down by a few degrees. "Remember what safety hazards are, Shady Lady?"
Constance only laughs. "You think that's my ONLY idea? Tsk, tsk, I am disappointed that our supposedly attentive leader thinks I would strive for anything BUT perfection."
Yuri pinches the bridge of his nose, somehow feeling as though he lost control of the band. And on their (technically) off-hours too! It doesn't matter what the singer does, a situation always manages to find him.
Yuri sighs, turning to Bernadetta. "You don't have to entertain them if it makes you uncomfortable. They're just a bit… passionate about the job. Some of them too much, maybe."
"No, I can come!" Bernadetta exclaims as she takes his hand. "I'm not lying when I say I had a good time today. You would know! And um… I'd like to maybe do this more often. If I'm allowed to do that? No one will be mad, right?"
Ah .
Yuri glances down at their clasped hands. Sticky warmth sticks to the skin as their palms brush against. Kind of a gross sensation, but it made his heart flutter nonetheless.
"You can't back out now that you said that, Bernie-Bee," Hapi affirmed.
"And if you have any friends who would be interested, feel free to invite them too!" Balthus chips in.
This was definitely bad for Yuri's heart. Especially with three chaotic cheerleaders behind him.
"We don't need to resort to peer-pressure to sell tickets," Yuri interrupts their strange behavior. They weren't usually this pushy when it came to promotion among their acquaintances. He was suspicious. "I think our performance is convincing enough, isn't, Bernadetta?"
"R-right! In that case, for the next concert should I bring a sign to show support? I saw multiple people in the crowd with signs, but would it be weird for me to join too? Oh, but I don't know what to write..." Bernadetta started thinking aloud.
"You could write I love Yuri," Balthus haphazardly throws out an idea. Both purple-heads turn their heads at lightning speed at the man. Bernadetta's face flushes at the implication. Yuri simply narrows his eyes, wondering if it was said on purpose. "What? No? Or am I your favorite member? Heh, thank you Bern! I always knew you had good taste. The drummer is far too underappreciated in bands, I tell you!"
"Um, no," Hapi drily cuts in. "I saw the way her eyes sparkled when I hit the G chord."
"But that's not all of the performance!" Constance counters. "Bernadetta just said she liked my part!"
"What's going on," Bernadetta leans into Yuri, whispering. Her voice comes out light, flustered by all the attention directed at her.
"No idea." Yuri decided to ignore them. "But hey—thanks for coming. Means a lot to me."
"Mhm." Bernadetta hums. "I'll try my best to be your loyal fan from now on."
"Only now? What about the past," Yuri teases.
"Ah well… I've always been a fan of your work," Bernadetta shyly admits. "Your voice is nice, and…"
Maybe Yuri shouldn't play with fire so casually. This was extremely bad for his tender heart.